authority figure
Americannoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There’s almost no authority figure or august body in our society in which most people have confidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
"We asked people: 'Should it be a woman? Should it be a man? Should it be a robot? Should it sound like a lawyer, a social worker, a journalist, or another authority figure?'"
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025
Francis cut his teeth as an authority figure in his native Argentina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
“I can’t imagine that helps the defense … to have somebody treat the authority figure, who’s been pretty evenhanded, that way. I don’t think that’ll play well.”
From Salon ● May 21, 2024
On my first day on the job, I walked into my classroom and tried to present myself as an authority figure, someone confident and intelligent, but inside I was a nervous wreck.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
